


You Always Do This

by Chrystie, kate882



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe-No Capes, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrystie/pseuds/Chrystie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate882/pseuds/kate882
Summary: Jason and Dick had been on and off friends since middle school. The last time they'd been off was because Jason moved during high school rather than a fight, so it wasn't completely unreasonable for Dick to ask Jason to be his fake date when they reunited in college, right? It wasn't like Jason had been in love with him since middle school or anything. That was ridiculous. Right?
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 8
Kudos: 218





	You Always Do This

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is also brought to you by: Kate goes through the WIP folder and finds finished fics.

Dick hadn’t actually seen Jason in a little over a year.    


They’d been on and off friends since middle school, when he tried to befriend Jason because he saw him sitting alone and Jason punched him for pitying him. They’d mostly managed to land on being on during high school, but senior year Jason had dropped off the map. It took a little pressing on one of Jason’s teachers to find out that his most recent foster family had moved and hadn’t taken Jason with them, and his relocation was outside of Gotham, meaning he wasn’t going to school with Dick anymore. 

And Dick could barely be surprised that Jason hadn’t mentioned it at all to him, and was even less surprised that his texts went unanswered when he tried to reach out. Jason liked to act like he wasn’t overly sentimental after all, and had never really been good at reaching out to people. He’d also never really done the whole social media thing back in high school, so keeping track of him wasn’t easy and Dick had kind of resigned himself to Jason actually being gone this time even though they had seemed to be in a good place. 

Which is why he was surprised to hear Jason’s familiar voice on his college campus midway through his first semester at Gotham University. He did a double take and, sure enough, there was Jason Todd, a little taller -completely unfair since he’d just hit Dick’s height before he vanished- a little broader in the shoulders and with a white streak in his bangs but definitely him. 

And some girl was flirting with him while he was sitting on top of one of the picnic benches on the edge of the grassy area where some guys were playing frisbee. True to form, Jason looked uncomfortable. Dick remembered any time he even jokingly flirted with Jason he’d freeze up and turn all red. And given that Jason had come out in tenth grade when he’d been caught in the boy’s room with another guy, the girl was probably barking up the wrong tree. Not that she seemed to be getting that hint. 

So, Dick did the first thing that came to mind that would handle Jason’s problem with her and ensure that Jason would definitely talk to him. 

“Hey Jason,” he called as he walked over. 

Jason’s head snapped up to look at him with wide eyes. “Dick? What are you-” 

He cut off as Dick dropped himself into Jason’s lap and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Who’s your friend?” He asked sweetly, looking at the girl. 

“... I was just leaving,” she muttered, walking off. 

Dick turned back to Jason, who was definitely blushing just like in high school. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going here?”    
  
“I didn’t know you were going here?” Jason answered uncertainty, still seeming to be processing what had just happened. 

“Well you would’ve if you’d answer any of my texts,” Dick lightly scolded.

“New phone plan, different number. I haven’t gotten any texts since about a month after I last saw you.” Which did still mean Jason ignored him for a month. 

“Still could’ve texted me your number, you still knew mine,” Dick tapped his nose just up until the girl that had been flirting with Jason was out of sight and he gently slid off his lap. 

“I could have,” Jason easily admitted, never one to really try to spare Dick’s feelings, standing like he needed to make sure Dick wasn’t going to sit on him again. Or like he might walk off, which was definitely a possibility, if not the one he wanted.

“I’m hurt, but not enough for this to not mean a second chance.”

“Is second the right number?” Jason asked, tilting his head. 

“Absolutely not, but I’m willing to forgive and forget.”

“I’m well aware of your forgiving tendencies, but I’m questioning your forgetting ability.” 

“Not as good as you would hope, but never mind that,” Dick waved off, “how about lunch?”

“What, right now?” Jason pulled out his phone. “Uhh, I guess,” he only sounded a little reluctant. A good start since Jason was usually cageier about Dick extending a friendship olive branch. Maybe he was taking it better since they hadn’t actually fought first this time. “I was supposed to be my roommate’s ride, but his girlfriend is coming to get him.” 

“Then we have time to catch up until one of us hass class,” Dick grinned, looping his arm with Jason’s.

“Guess so,” Jason let Dick drag him towards the dining hall, staying pretty quiet for the walk there until they were sat at a table with trays of food. “So you uh… go here,” Jason said eloquently, and looked about ready for the floor to open up and swallow him after saying it.

“Can’t only be here for you,” Dick chuckled, “I heard you got moved out of Gotham?”

“Huh?” Jason blinked at him then seemed to realize, “oh, yeah, for like two weeks before I was in another house, but still different school district.”

“Well it sounds like you had a much more interesting rest of high school than I did,” Dick opened up for Jason to continue, not that he really expected he would. Jason was always pretty bad at sharing anything.

“Probably not,” Jason said, as he’d expected, before shifting the conversation back around to Dick. “I’m guessing you’re here for criminal justice?” 

“You would guess right, despite Bruce’s wishes I go into business. And I’m guessing you’re here for lit.”

“Close. English education, because I guess I’ve decided I like not having money,” Jason told him, stealing one of his fries like he hadn’t chosen to get a salad. 

“You’re gonna be the hot English teacher of everyone’s dreams; at least until you start the actual teaching anyway.” Jason choked on his fry. Served him right. 

“Says the future cop everyone’s gonna think is a stripper.” It might have been a more effective insult if his voice wasn’t a bit raspy from the choking on the fry incident. 

“I only give shows for people I like,” Dick winked before laughing it off. “I still have to do all the Wayne publicity things though, so that’s going to keep sucking.”

“Sucks for you,” Jason said with just as much sympathy as he used to give when Dick complained about going to those events. Which was none. “But also you could just like… not go.” Which was also not a new point. He had done it once, just ditched and hung out with Jason. He’d also gotten grounded and Bruce and Jason had attempted to glare each other down for several awkward minutes.

Dick shook his head, “Threat’s not just a grounding anymore. Now it’s my ability to stay in school while taking what I want to take. Call me spoiled, but I currently like having Bruce pay for classes that I want to take instead of bribing the university to put me in only business courses.”

Jason still didn’t look overly impressed, but his financial situation had never been the best so being able to go to school for free and only having to go to “bougie parties with bomb food”, as Jason once called them when Dick brought some food back for him, probably didn’t sound like too much of a hardship. “Then I guess you’re skipping college parties to go to rich people parties. Hopefully the alcohol is at least better.”

“It’s not disguised as fruit punch, but the people trying to rope me into a relationship are more annoyingly abundant.”

“And you’re legal now too, so guessing that’s gotten worse,” Jason had the audacity to laugh at him. 

“It hurts that you laugh at my struggles.”

“You knew what you were getting into, Mr. Second Chances.”

“I did,” and Dick could really only smile fondly. “Just wish they’d back off a bit. Most of them are only after the money or they’re old enough it’s creepy.”

“Just do what you did out there,” Jason gestured vaguely in the direction they’d come from. “Tell them you’re taken.” 

It was like Dick was hit with an epiphany. “Oh my god, you’re right! And you’d be the perfect date!”

Jason’s expression went blank in a way that usually meant Dick had fucked up somehow and he was being graced with a chance to try again. “...what?” 

“At least I think you’d be perfect,” Dick said less excitedly. “You’re handsome, someone I like, won’t use me, and you have the added benefit of annoying Bruce.”

He didn’t get to actually see Jason’s reaction, because somewhere around ‘like’ he’d put his face in his hands, which probably meant he hadn’t fixed whatever the fuckup was. Despite there being no way he could see Dick’s mouth open he moved one hand in a ‘stop’ gesture when Dick started to ask if he was okay, massaging his temples with the other one. “Let me get this straight: you want  _ me  _ to tag along to one of these events you hate, have made clear I would also hate, to pretend to be your boyfriend? And what, exactly, am I supposed to get out of this arrangement?”

Jason finally opened his eyes and the look he was giving Dick said that his answer to that question was actually very important. And he knew that because he’d seen it just a few times before, and been just as lost on what he’d said, and when he’d gotten it wrong Jason had ignored him for days, or even broken his nose on one memorable occasion, and refused to elaborate on what Dick had done wrong. 

“I…” Dick bit his lip, because he really didn’t want to screw this up so early into finding Jason again. “Whatever you want. There’s not much I’m not willing to give.”

It probably wasn’t the right answer. He’d started to suspect around their tenth grade year that there wasn’t actually a right answer, but it wasn’t necessarily the wrong one either, since Jason didn’t leave even if he still looked unhappy. “Well, you’ll need to give me a suit at least. I don’t own anything that works for a rich people party.” 

“The suit is part of the agreement, unless you wanted to show up in that leather jacket of yours. I wouldn’t complain.”

“I think others might. Would they even let me in the door?” 

“As long as you’re with me.”

“Would  _ Bruce  _ let me in the door dressed like that?” Jason countered, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Ehhh,” Dick shrugged. The real answer was definitely not. “We can tailor you a suit, and I know you’re going to hate how much it is, but Alfred’s not letting you walk in in a suit that’s not perfect for you.”

“I’m begging you to never tell me how much it costs so that I can stand to wear it.”

“Deal.” Dick was just ecstatic that Jason was agreeing. “I guess that makes us fake boyfriends.” 

“I guess,” Jason agreed before once again changing the subject and making a retreat as soon as he finished his food. 

* * *

Despite being in a suit that cost enough money that Jason refused to know how much, he still showed up on his motorcycle, and Dick watched as he only ran a hand through his hair once to fix it before starting towards the entrance, looking unfairly good despite the clear lack of effort. 

He saw the moment Jason spotted him waiting and jogged up. “So, how are we doing this?” Jason asked. 

Dick pressed a kiss to Jason’s cheek, much like he did before on campus, and busied himself with pretending to fix Jason’s collar while Jason busied himself with avoiding eye contact. “We walk in, say hi to anyone who approaches us, and you can say to them whatever comes to your mind,” He grinned devilishly.

“You really do want us to get kicked out,” Jason rolled his eyes despite the pink tint on his cheeks. 

Bruce immediately zeroed in on them when they walked in, and Jason noticed just as quickly as Dick did, grinning and shooting finger guns Bruce’s way before taking Dick’s hand in his. 

“This is going to be the best gala ever.” Dick practically bounced towards a caterer carrying a tray of champagne.

“One might almost think you’re expecting me to misbehave, Dickie,” Jason mockingly chided before stealing a flute of champagne for himself and taking a sip. 

“You? Misbehave? How could I ever?”

“I thought I was just here to look like you’ve attained yourself a man,” he said, eyes tracking Bruce as he got closer and downing the glass before he could arrive. 

“One of those reasons is an added bonus, just can’t decide which one is which.” Dick continued to casually sip at his champagne, but his grip on Jason’s hand did tighten the closer Bruce got.

“Bruce, it hasn’t been long enough,” Jason grinned at him when Bruce stopped in front of them. 

“Jason. I’d heard you’d moved.” He looked to Dick. “How long have you two been together?”

“How very to the point you are,” Dick snorted, “long enough.”

Jason exchanged his empty glass for a new one as a waiter passed by. “It almost sounds like you’re not happy to see me,” Jason told Bruce, miming a tear rolling down his face. 

Bruce just levelled him with a look.

“Don’t be mean to my date. I like this one.”

“He can’t be too mean to me. We’re in public,” Jason pointed out, fully aware from spending enough time at Wayne Manor that Bruce Wayne behind closed doors was almost a whole different person. 

With a fake smile Bruce shrugged, “I just thought Dick had better taste.” Jason and Bruce did manage to get along every now than then, when they could stop arguing, but it seemed tonight wasn’t one of those nights. 

“I have the best taste, Bruce. Have you seen Jason? Clearly no one can beat him.” Dick matched Bruce’s grin with an even bigger one.

Jason unlinked their hands to toss an arm around Dick. “Besides, don’t try to claim Dick has good taste. We’ve all seen his wardrobe.” 

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with my clothes.” Dick leaned into Jason’s touch and pouted at him.

“Not tonight when Alfred picked them,” Jason agreed, not swayed at all by the pout. 

“I dress great everyday, you just can’t see it.”

Jason looked imploringly towards Bruce.

“I think I’ve already mentioned that my son has bad taste. I do hope both of you are on your best behaviour today.” He gave Jason a pointed look.

“I planned to be, I have since been explicitly told not to be,” Jason answered. 

Bruce shot Dick a look, and Dick didn’t even bother to pretend that Jason was lying. “It’ll be a fun gala.”

Jason had apparently lost interest in Bruce since he simply said “Bye B,” with a two finger salute before dragging Dick towards the buffet. 

Dick just shrugged in Bruce’s direction in a ‘what can you do’ kind of way and didn’t miss the brief scowl Bruce let slip onto his face. “Bringing you was the best idea you’ve ever given me.”

“It was definitely not the idea I gave you. I just told you to tell people you were dating someone,” Jason reminded him as he gathered up food. “Also, for your information, the best idea I ever gave you you didn’t even take, and it was putting the principal's car on the roof before leaving middle school. You made me do that by myself.” 

“I didn’t  _ make you.  _ I just had no confidence that we wouldn’t be caught and you proved me wrong.” Dick went for obnoxiously trying to feed Jason rather than eating any of the food, especially since he could definitely feel a few eyes.

Jason rolled his eyes, letting him without threatening to break his wrist, but shoved him away when he tried again, adding a good natured laugh for their audience. “Yeah, no help from you on that front. You were going to be my lookout.” 

“What can I say, I only had doubt.”

“Which I’m still offended by.” 

Jason seemed to be getting more uncomfortable as the night wore on- not that anyone else would be able to tell- probably all of the eyes on him and Dick as Dick hung all over him. He did manage to insult some of the more annoying patrons, much to Dick’s delight. 

“How long do these usually go?” Jason asked after Dick roped him into dancing with him, as they swayed close together to a slow song. 

“It’s pretty close to when I usually dip so we can leave soon.”

“How much food would it be acceptable to steal before we leave?”

“None, but please do.”

“What do you mean  _ none, _ I hate rich people so much,” Jason complained. 

“As you should,” Dick laughed. He could honestly say he’d never had so much fun at one of these galas, and he was definitely thankful for Jason coming. This late in the night though, Dick couldn’t really tell how much he was really faking his infatuation with Jason. The man was really handsome. And maybe Dick had been developing something like a crush close to their last year of high school before Jason disappeared. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to end their night on a high note. Without giving it much more thought, Dick leant up and gently kissed Jason. 

Jason’s lips parted with surprise before he was kissing back. Only for a few seconds though, and then he was jerking away like he’d been burned, and there was that blank expression that Dick dreaded. 

“I- I’m ready to leave,” Jason muttered, making a beeline for the exit before Dick could answer him. 

Dick chased after him as best he could, and only called out once they were clear of people. “Jay, wait!”

“What, Dick?” He snapped, whirling around to look angrily at him. There was something under that anger though that Dick struggled to identify because Jason so rarely let him see it, but pinpointing it as hurt didn’t really clear up what had just happened. “What do you want from me?” 

“I’m sorry, Jay, I should’ve asked. It’s just the night was going so good and I...“ Dick frowned, not really sure what he wanted to say. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you’re always sorry, Dick,” Jason ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “And then you act like you don’t know why, and you do it to me again. And I let you. For fucks sake, I stopped talking to you for over a year, and I’m still here letting you do this. Why am I so fucking stupid?” He didn’t really seem to be talking to Dick anymore. Dick wasn’t really what he was talking about anymore either.

“Do what to you?”

“Do what to me?” Jason repeated back, half heartedly mocking. “You really want to do this now? Okay, fine. How about when you started flirting with me only after I started having feelings for you?” And that was just ridiculous, he’d been flirting with Jason since middle school- oh.  _ Oh.  _ He’d done it because he thought Jason’s reactions were cute, not because he thought Jason was interested in him. Jason was just like that when people flirted with him… right? No, not quite, now that Dick actually had to think about it. He’d certainly looked uncomfortable with that girl flirting with him the other day, but he’d only started blushing and avoiding eye contact when Dick did it.    
  
“Or how about ‘Oh Jason, I don’t know how to confess to Babs. How would you do it? Practice on me, maybe that will give me some ideas,’ back in tenth grade.” Ah yeah, the time Jason broke his nose. It was making more sense now with the context that Jason had feelings for him, and clearly seemed to think that Dick was in the know about this. He’d kind of thought maybe Jason had a thing for Babs until the next day Jason got caught with that boy in the bathroom and came out. That boy who maybe a little looked like Dick.    
  
“Or maybe you’ll get the picture if I remind you of that time you dragged me to a party, kissed me, told me not to worry about it because we’re just friends, and then never mentioned it again.” He actually… only kind of remembered that one. Victor’s party in eleventh grade he presumed, where he’d gotten drunk after realizing he might have a small crush on Jason. “Or pulling out the ‘because you love me’ every time you wanted me to do something for you I didn’t want to do. Or right now, after I go a year not talking to you to try and get over you, you ask me to be your fake boyfriend and kiss me. Any of that sounding familiar to you, Dick, or should I keep going?” 

“You’ve… you’ve liked me back this whole time?” Dick knew whatever look he had on his face was reflecting how vulnerable Jason looked at the moment too.

“Back? Dick, don’t fuck with me like this, I’m tired of it.”

“I don’t even remember that time I kissed you because I was trying to drink away my very strong and sudden feelings for you. I wouldn’t have done any of that if I’d known.”

“...What?” Jason asked quietly. 

“I kissed you right now because the day’s been amazing and I wanted it to end on a high note.” 

“But- you-” Jason seemed to give up on words, he’d probably used up his emotional capacity on his tirade about what an asshole Dick had been over the last few years, it was certainly more expression than he was usually willing to give, instead striding forward and pulling Dick into a kiss. 

Dick hummed happily into the kiss, looping his arms around Jason’s neck.

“I can’t believe we’re both so stupid,” Jason mumbled, resting his forehead against Dick’s after a few minutes. 

“Super stupid,” Dick agreed. “You ran away from me because we were stupid.”

“I did. Oh god that’s embarrassing, I can’t go back in there,” Jason groaned, dropping his head onto Dick’s shoulder. 

“I meant high school,” Dick laughed, his hand going up to bury itself in Jason’s hair. “But yeah, don’t think we’re going back in there today.”

“Oh. I wouldn’t call that running away; I actually moved. I just decided not to talk to you because of all of this after I moved.”

“Not talking to me is running away.”

“There was no running though. That doesn’t make sense.” 

“It makes perfect sense. Like right now, we’re going to run away by getting out of here and ignoring Bruce for the next few days.”

“Good luck with that. He knows where you live,” Jason reminded him, though he did finally lift his head off of Dick’s shoulder, starting to walk towards his bike and glancing over his shoulder to indicate Dick should follow. “And he confronted me about my feelings for you years ago anyway, so I think you’ll be the target this time. No need for any ‘we’.” 

Dick could honestly say that while he wasn’t happy that Bruce had figured out about Jason’s feelings first, he wasn’t surprised either. “Of course he did.”

“So, where are we going?” Jason asked, handing him a spare helmet after putting on his own and hopping on the bike. 

“Well I picked this fake date, how about you pick our first real date?” Dick had no issues sliding on after Jason and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Guess we’ll find out.”


End file.
